AUGUSTA – Echoing the theme of the 57th Maine Transportation Conference on Thursday, the state’s commissioner of transportation highlighted a 20-year transportation plan called “Connecting Maine.”

“What’s compelling about ‘Connecting Maine’ is that we’ve made a real attempt to look at transportation as a function of our economy, our communities, our state, and the social issues and challenges facing the state,” said Commissioner David Cole.

“We worked with regional development groups to identify the critical corridors for transportation within our state,” Cole stressed. “We all know we won’t have the money to do everything, but we’ll do what’s most important.”

Called “The Maine Challenge: Transportation Opportunities,” Thursday’s daylong conference filled the Augusta Civic Center with hundreds of municipal officers, legislators, road builders and engineers interested in the state’s transportation system.

The event was co-sponsored by the Maine Better Transportation Association, the Maine DOT, and the Maine Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

“‘Connecting Maine’ is the name of our long-range transportation plan,” Cole told the assembly during his address. “The Federal Highway Administration requires that we all have a 20-year highway plan.”

Rather than just meet the minimum federal requirement, however, Cole said, “We’re coming back to you with a 20-year long-range plan that we can all be excited about …

“What you will find in this plan is an integrated long-range, multi-modal transportation plan,” he said. “It lays out the needs of the transportation system steps necessary to grow the Maine economy, while preserving what we all like special about Maine and Maine communities.

“In short, it’s going to serve as a guide to our transportation system over the next two decades,” he said.

The 20-year blueprint includes a 10-year capital plan that lays out the steps necessary to achieve the initial goals and objectives of a long-range design, Cole said.

“The plan includes the outcome of our recent bridge reports on the condition of Maine’s bridges and investments necessary to insure the safety and operation of our bridges for years to come, especially in the aftermath of the tragedy in Minnesota with the Interstate 35 West bridge collapse,” Cole said.

A draft of “Connecting Maine,” can be found online at: www.mainedot.gov.

Thursday’s conference featured two concurrent tracks addressing policy issues and technical advancements. The policy track included presentations on “Our Aging Infrastructure: Hidden Costs of its Aging Infrastructure,” moderated by state Sen. Dennis S. Damon, the Trenton Democrat who chairs the Legislature’s Transportation Committee.

Bruce A. Van Note of the Maine DOT talked about the condition of Maine’s transportation system followed by Jim Haughey of Reed Construction Data discussing “The 2008 National Infrastructure Market and Cost Trends.”

Charles “Casey” Dinges, managing director of External Affairs for Society, delivered the keynote address on the condition and initiatives of the U.S. infrastructure.